Your surgeon
Dr Elliott is a graduate of Otago Medical School (2003), a member of the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS Ortho). He is an active member of the New Zealand Shoulder and Elbow Society, the New Zealand Hip Society and the New Zealand Knee Society. He is also a member of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS).
He began working in orthopaedics in Australia in 2005. He completed a Diploma in Sport and Exercise Medicine, through the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, in 2008, whilst working in Ireland. Following this he returned to New Zealand and began formal orthopaedic training in 2009 and passed the final fellowship exams in 2014.
In addition to orthopaedic surgery, Rob has worked as a camp doctor at Grajagan surf camp (G-Land), Indonesia, and been team doctor to the Tasman Makos professional rugby team.
Rob is married with three children. He played cricket at high school, rugby till the end of university and still enjoys tennis, social beach volleyball, running, mountain biking, surfing and skiing.
Rob's goal is to restore your function and lifestyle in the safest possible manner
Fellowship Training
Dr Elliott completed two years of fellowship subspecialty training from 2014-2016.
Computer guided knee replacement and total hip replacement - North Shore Hospital, Auckland
Shoulder arthroscopy and arthroplasty with Professor Alex Castagna - Humanitas Hospital, Milan, Italy
Sports knee surgery with Andy Williams and Simon Ball - Fortius Clinic and Chelsea Westminster Hospital, London, UK
Shoulder and Elbow arthroscopy and arthroplasty with Ass Professor Simon Bell and Richard Dallalana - Melbourne Shoulder and Elbow centre and Park Clinic, Melbourne, Australia
Hip preservation and Direct Anterior Approach (DAA) hip replacement with Ass Professor Phong Tran - SOS Clinic and Western Health, Melbourne, Australia
He returned to work at North Shore Hospital in January 2017.
Teaching and Research
Teaching
Dr Elliott is involved with teaching medical students, junior doctors, training registrars and orthopaedic fellows. He supervises trainees perform surgery in the public hospital. They may on occasion be observing and assisting surgery in the private hospital.
Research
Dr Elliott is actively involved in research and audit. Generally, this means reviewing the outcomes of procedures that he performs routinely. On occasion, he is involved with randomised controlled studies, which are the gold standard of science methodology. Through these studies, and closely monitoring our results we are able to refine our practice and offer increasingly better results. We can also provide you with better estimates of success and probabilities of complication, to help you make your decisions around surgery.
Research will be de-identified where ever possible. All research will be approved by our regional ethics approval board. You will be asked for consent where active participation is involved. You are entitled to refuse consent and will be treated in the usual manner without prejudice.
PUblications
Structural integrity of rotator cuff at 16 years following repair: good long-term outcomes despite recurrent tears.
Elliott RSJ, Lim Y-J, Coghlan J, Troupis J, Bell S.
Shoulder & Elbow. 2017 Nov 10;88:1
Patient specific instrument assisted structural glenoid bone grafting in reverse shoulder arthroplasty
Elliott RS, Dalllalana RJ
Techniques in Shoulder & Elbow Surgery: Dec 2017 18 4 - p 145–150
Refer prior to biopsy of suspected appendicular soft tissue sarcoma.
Elliott RS, Flint M, French G
N Z Med J. 2012 Nov 23;125(1366):12-9.
NAFLD as a risk factor for the development of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome: an eleven-year follow-up study.
Adams LA, Waters OR, Knuiman MW, Elliott R, Olynyk JK.
Am J Gastroenterol. 2009 Apr;104(4):861-7
Podium Presentations
Hip ultrasound-guided haematoma (HUSH) block for intracapsular neck of femur fractures outperforms fascia-iliaca block, Patel R, Elliott R. Combined New Zealand and Australia Orthopaedic Associations Annual Scientific Meeting October 2022 ,Christchurch, NZ
What is the optimal head size in Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty?, New Zealand Shoulder and Elbow Society Meeting, July 2021, Queenstown, NZ
Direct Anterior Hip Replacement: Fact and fiction, New Zealand Hip Society Meeting, May 2021, Queenstown, NZ
Shoulder Trauma Update Goodfellow Conference, February 2021, NZ
“Early experience of Hip Arthroscopy at North Shore Hospital” New Zealand Hip Society Meeting August 2019, Queenstown, NZ
Patient specific instrument assisted structural glenoid bone grafting in reverse shoulder arthroplasty . New Zealand Shoulder and Elbow Society Meeting July 2019, Noumea, New Calendonia
Structural integrity of rotator cuff at 16 years following repair: good long-term outcomes despite recurrent tears. New Zealand Shoulder and Elbow Society Meeting July 2019, Noumea, New Calendonia
“Tendon transfers for the young patient with an irreparable cuff tear”
Victorian Shoulder and Elbow Society Meeting
June 2016, Melbourne, Australia
“Medium term outcomes of a constrained acetabular liner: what is important for success?”
NZOA Annual Scientific Meeting
October 2014, Tauranga, NZ
“Acetabular computer assisted navigation system referenced of a functional plane”
NZOA Annual Scientific Meeting
October 2012, Dunedin, NZ
“Soft tissue tumours: referral practises in New Zealand”
NZ Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Registry Meeting
May 9th, 2009
Histopathology Department Middlemore Hospital
“Soft tissue tumour biopsy and referral in New Zealand”
NZOA Annual Scientific Meeting
October 22nd, 2009
Te Papa, Wellington, NZ
“Presenting complaint and the path to diagnosis in soft tissue tumours: Initial experience of an Irish orthopaedic tumour surgeon”
Irish Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting
June 21st, 2008
Templepatrick, Belfast, Northern Ireland